Day 4 - Nehemiah: All In for God’s People

Devotional Scripture Reading

Primary Passage: Nehemiah 1:4-11

Supporting Scriptures (as cited in devotional): Nehemiah 1:3-4, Nehemiah 1:5-11

KJV (Full Text):

4 And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,
5 And said, I beseech thee, O LORD God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments:
6 Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father's house have sinned.
7 We have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses.
8 Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations:
9 But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there.
10 Now these are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand.
11 O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man, for I was the king's cupbearer.

Summary: Nehemiah 1:4-11 — Nehemiah fasted and prayed, confessed sin, and asked God to grant him favor to rebuild.

Nehemiah lived in comfort, but his heart broke when he heard Jerusalem was torn down(Nehemiah 1:3–4). He wept, fasted, and prayed. The Hebrew word harah (חָרַה) points to a burning grief, a holy concern. Being All In means not ignoring what is broken. You let it move you toward God and toward action.

First, Nehemiah shows us prayer before plans. His prayer is filled with confession and covenant memory (Nehemiah 1:5–11). He teaches that rebuilding is spiritual before it is structural. God restores communities by restoring hearts first.

Second, Nehemiah shows us unity through shared work. Families rebuilt side by side, each one repairing a section near their home (Nehemiah 3). That is how a family of faith gets stronger.

Everyone carries a piece. Unity is not a speech. It is a shared responsibility.

Third, Nehemiah shows us integrity and justice. He confronted exploitation and corrected it (Nehemiah 5). This is stewardship with righteousness. You cannot build God’s house while abusing God’s people. Nehemiah teaches that holy work requires holy leadership.

Nehemiah’s story calls us to be builders. During this fast, ask God where you are assigned to repair, restore, and strengthen. When the church is All In together, what is broken can be rebuilt.

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for Nehemiah’s burden and courage. Give me a heart that cares about what matters to You. Teach me to pray first, then move with wisdom and obedience. Lord, strengthen our church family in unity and integrity. Help us rebuild what is broken and steward our assignments with compassion and excellence. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Reflective Questions:

1.     What area is God burdening my heart to pray for and rebuild?

2. How can I actively strengthen unity in my church family during this fast?